http://smallcraftadvisor.com

For weeks I looked and bid on boats on eBay. I lost a Cal 25 for a mere 5$ bid placed a minute before closing. Once I set my heart on a Person Lark 24, I knew what I had to do. I was not about to be had again. I sat in a café in front of my laptop, patiently waiting for the last minute. Afraid that somehow I’d miss my chance.

The last bid was 590$. It had held there for two days. The bids had stopped and people were waiting for the last minute.

Two minutes before closing, I tried to bid but my computer connection was jammed. Fortunately, I had the phone ready. I entered the eBay website, logged in, and barely had time to hit the bid button. I slipped-in less than a minute before the end. I got the sailboat for 595$!

The boat was in Westport Connecticut and it had to be moved before April 27. That gave me 10 days to drive eight hours and sail it 150 kilometers to Block Island. The weather was resolutely winterish. Most days the temperatures barely made it above freezing. Worse, the winds were strong and on the nose until the April 25. Afterwards, the forecast called for northwesterly winds in the 20s, knots that is.

Jean Jacques had volunteered to come and sail the boat in the cold weather. He’s my spearfishing partner. He had never sailed but he’d been on the ocean enough to know what he was getting into. I told him to bring his winter camping gear and to dress for an arctic expedition.

We left Montreal at three forty five in the morning. I had to drive to Westport early enough to see the boat, go to registrations and complete the purchase. I knew that the very next morning I had to be on the water at sunrise if I wanted to get to Block in the next days. I couldn’t risk not making it in one trip.

When I got to Cedar Point Marina in Westport, the boat was in the water already. All the sailing gear was in good order, but the interior was covered in mold, and the deck was soft all over. I had expected as much and the idea was to use the boat for the summer, as is. Chlorine and paint could get rid of the mold, and the deck could be repaired easily if I did not mind the esthetics, which I didn’t.

It was so cold and the mold was so bad that we decided not to sleep on the boat that night. I was exhausted from the drive and the waking up in the middle of the night. We couldn’t afford to be too tired before we even started to sail. We went to a motel in Fairfield and raided the grocery store.

The next morning we got on the boat at eight. We wore our warmest clothing and set sail. Everything was new. I had no idea if the boat was seaworthy.

The sails were in good shape. Everything worked great. The wind blew twenty miles per hour. The boat glided easily to a speed of five and a half mile per hour. I expected this to be the hull speed for the Mold Minnow, but I later got it to an easy six and a half.

The rudder was a little difficult to hold in higher winds. The weather helm was a bit tiring but there was not much I could do about it. For one thing, the main sail has no reefing lines.

By the end of the afternoon, the wind reached twenty five, then thirty miles per hour. The boat handled it well but the clouds loomed and the wind kept increasing.

We reached the Clinton Marina with very dark skies behind us. The wind exceeded thirty five miles per hour; well above what I could use. We docked the in the closed marina and walked in town. During the night the wind blew in the forties and it rained some.

The next morning we sailed out at seven, but the winds were too strong. The gusts were in the forties, so I decided to head back to shore. We docked at the Brewer Pilots Point Marina, not even two miles west of Clinton. We headed into town for breakfast and hoped the winds would die down a bit.

At ten, we were back on the water. The winds were very strong but we could manage them with the jib. When they slowed down to twenty five and the gusts were less threatening, I raised the main sail. The boat was flying. Jean Jacques got quite a ride for his first sailing adventure. The GPS indicated we were moving eight miles per hour; which is impossible on a twenty four foot keeler without the current.

I studied the mast to see if it was about to give out. It held straight throughout. The boat did not seem to mind the high winds. I only whished it had some sort of heater. The winter clothing was barely enough to keep us from becoming hypothermic.

We reached Fisher Island at three; early enough to make it to Block Island. We rounded the island and headed 120 degrees. We could see the island twenty three miles away.

The wind was not a little more manageable but the swell was impressive. Up and down we went. Fortunately they were smooth mountains of water. Some swells looked rather steep but none were close to breaking. Since the wind held, the boat was rather stable and saved us from being seasick.

It was past sunset by the time we reached the New Harbor entrance. The swell did not reach the breakwater and the water inside the bay was flat.

We celebrated our save voyage at the Poor Man’s Café.

The next morning I had to leave the boat behind so I could go back to work. It’s anchored and waiting for my return.

While everyone waited for a weather window to head further east, I looked for a window to head back to Florida. My Norwegian neighbor also wanted to head west but he destroyed is outboard while maneuvering in the marina, so I was leaving alone.

The first weather window promised 15 to 20 mph winds from the east. This sort of wind meant following seas and moving slowly toward Florida, while getting tossed around. The second window consisted of south winds. South winds are the most favorable you can get. Since the wind and the waves are going the same way, the waves are flattened. The problem was that the south winds were likely to not last an entire day, and they were really strong.

I chose the second window and left at 5 in the morning. I calculated that I could make it to Fort Lauderdale in a little more than 8 hours if the wind held at 15 mph. I hoped to be in Florida at 1; before the inlet was swept by an outgoing tide.

I woke up at 5 but it took me a few minutes to talk the dredging boat to get out of my way so I could leave. I eventually made it out and sailed into the night towards Fort Lauderdale. I pointed toward Miami (270 degrees, due west) to counteract the Gulf Stream.

I sailed at 6 miles per hour in waves that kept increasing in size until they reached two to four feet. It was quite manageable, but I had to crawl on the deck to reef my main sail. About 20 miles from the Bimini, I was forced to reef it again. I got tossed around while I reefed, but the autopilot held the direction. I’m sure the boat would have reached Miami had I fell overboard; a real possibility in such seas. Here is a video of me about 10 miles from Bimini :

The quick sailing lasted long enough to cover 40 miles. At that point, I could see the city but ominous dark clouds were in the way. Turning around or trying to get around them was not possible, so I cowboyed on.

The rain brought strong gust but a few minutes later I was totally becalmed. I started the engine to fight the Gulf Stream. I was 14 miles from the coast.

I motored for a while on the calm sea and the rain stopped. Eventually I saw scary ripples on the water ahead of me. The wind hit me at 20 mph with gust in the upper 20s. The wind came from the west. I had to go in the direction of the wind. I could not tack without making a major detour or stalling since the current was pushing me north at 3 miles per hour. I pushed the engine to 2500 rph, not far from its max. Still, I was merely doing 1 to 2 mph into the wind. I was very intimidated by what was happening. At that rate, it would take me 6 to 12 hours to get to Port Everglade, but what were my options?

For two hours I tugged against the wind. I felt very uneasy. I prayed for the engine to keep going.

I counted the miles; eleven, then ten, then nine miles from Fort Lauderdale. Suddenly the Gulf Stream let me go. I was able to steer the boat at 300 degrees instead of 240.  At 300 degrees my main sail caught the wind. I opened my jib at about 60% and pulled it tight. I was sailing again. I flew at 6 mph towards my objectives in winds in the higher 20s! Unfortunately, as soon as the Gulf Stream let me go, the waves increased to 3 to 6 feet! Somehow the boat had no problem moving through those seas.

I was very happy but I feared the inlet. The waves were big and i expected the water would be rushing out of the inlet; a bad combination that promised rolling waves. Again, what options did I have? I’d do my best.

When I got in front of the inlet, I saw that the wide and deep opening was not really a problem. The skies were black, the wind was crazy and the coast guards watched the solo crazy sailor entering the inlet under full sail and motor.

It was 4. I still had plenty of daylight although the clouds dimmed the lights quite a bit. I got to Lake Sylvia, set my anchor and paddled to the Raw Bar for some food.

Hunting with the hawaiian sling requires some major skills. The fish are not dumb and the sling will not let you shoot them from more than a few feet. I learned to dive bomb them since they often wait a little longer to get away and the gravity helps the shaft move forward; slings are not powerful weapons….

A friend from Montreal hoped on my boat while I was in Virginia Key. I was anchored in front of the Marine Stadium. If you ever have to anchor near Miami, you should know that the view of the city of Miami from the Virginia Key bay is unbelievable.

In the morning we sailed from Virginia Key to the end of Key Biscayne. We anchored at No Name Harbor. It’s a National Park with an anchorage and a lot of services. It’s also an easy walk to the most expensive grocery store in the US.

I had chosen to move to Key Biscayne since it was 10 miles south. I knew that starting further south helped cross the Gulf Stream.

The Gulf Stream is a strong current that goes north. It’s caused by the warm water escaping the Gulf of Mexico and goes all around the Atlantic. The 2.5 knot current can make you miss your target and make you turn back in what must be a very miserable experience. In a slow sailboat it’s necessary to aim 30 to 40 degrees south of your destination to counteract the current.

We left at 4 in the morning. I navigated the shallow waters that led to the Atlantic with the help of my GPS and Anne Louise who used a flash light to spot unlit buoys.

Once on the Atlantic, the wind was light but it pushed us for a while.

At first, I did not mind the light wind since the last thing you want when you cross to Bimini is a storm. The island is 53 miles away. A lot can happen during a crossing and not much help is available. Eventually though, the west wind diminished and I had to use the engine as well as the sails to fight the Gulf Stream.

I dragged a lure. It was a pink and blue thing with a large hook. I bought it because I was told that trolling in the Gulf Stream was part of the experience. Sure enough, I got a mahi mahi as soon as the color of the water changed, indicating the beginning of the Gulf Stream. The Gulf Stream water is blue, almost mauve. I later caught a larger mahi and a skip jack about 30 miles from Miami.

By the time we passed the midway point the wind was too light to keep the sail open and the seas were confused: waves came from all directions. I eventually took the main-sheet down because it swung dangerously and the boom threatened to wreck my stays. I kept the Genoa out to limit the rocking of the boat. We ended up motoring most of the way.

I got to Bimini at low tide. The entrance looked like rapids and the channel was really shallow. Fortunately my GPS had a magenta line to keep me away from the shoals. A few times I saw the sand pattern but I never hit the bottom.

I pulled in Brown’s Marina. The very one that Ernest Hemingway used. Life was grand.

On the 17^th I took my new manifold for a ride to Virginia Key. Since the wind was wrong for a sea passage I motored all the way to Miami. Motoring the intracoastal at 5 mph is as much fun as being stuck in traffic with gastric cramps. To make matters worse, the canal between Fort Lauderdale and Miami has a zillion bridges. Most of the bridges opened without too much fuss except for one. The man in charge at the 79^th street bridge simply ignored me. I had heard of bridge attendants sometimes being a bit strange and refusing to open if they were not hailed in time or in a certain fashion, but I had honed my bridge etiquette going through all those previous bridges. I turned and I turned and it’s only when another boat showed up and asked that he finally opened. I worried he would close on my boat as I passed but he waited.

I needed to undo the manifold parts. The manifold was merely an assemblage of galvanized pipes much like the ones you would find at an hardware store instead of a molded proprietary piece of hardware I would have had to order. I’m sure that there are pipe and pipes but I knew that high Nickel pipes or copper would cost a fortune. Fortunately the ones I held in my hands were neither, so I decided to repair with the same low quality pipes.

Before I could put new part in, I had to unscrew the rusted pieces of broken pipes. I knew I needed a vice, pipe wrenches and a torch. The sort of heavy handed approach required could not be done on a boat, so I looked for a workshop. The first I came upon was hot tub shop. There were old car parts and whatnot lying around. The place was a something between an oddity museum and a junkyard. The owner had dyed hair that looked a bit orange but when you got to talk to him you really understood how eccentric the man truly was. He was also really intelligent, a quick study, and helpful as hell. In the yard there were two guys getting hammered on light beer while working on tubs who were almost too keen to help. They had the vice, they wanted to help and they even told me where to get the parts. McDonald hardware was straight across the street and he really had everything for my project and boating in general for that matter.

It took a lot of violence to undo the parts and a lot of bleeding was involved, mostly the yard guy’s blood. Once the parts were put together I felt like a maverick mechanical genius. The high lasted until I got to the boat. Once installed, the parts worked perfectly. Maybe I am a mechanic superhero! Perhaps I’ll get a cape.